Fathers

I remember when my daughter was first born, and we were given a parenting book written by James Dobson. Being totally unexperienced with children, I thought the advice was rather good. Soon, though, I found the advice to be extreme. I realized I was not going to spoil a newborn by responding immediately to her cries. I also realized that I was not going to ruin her by holding her as much as she wanted. A newborn is totally helpless and dependent on its parents; it is important to build trust with them and show them love.

I realized that if Dobson was wrong on newborns and infants, he would also likely be wrong on older children as well. I realized that you can still hold parental authority without having to resort to spanking.